Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme

In 2015 we designated energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority.

The cornerstone of this will be Scotland's Energy Efficiency Programme which will provide an offer of support to buildings across Scotland – domestic and non-domestic – to improve their energy efficiency rating over a 15 to 20 year period.

The programme will continue to provide support to households suffering from fuel poverty. It will also look to attract private investment to support the development of loan schemes.

These schemes will help more households and businesses to invest in energy efficiency by spreading the upfront costs.

The first pilot scheme for energy efficiency improvements and associated essential repairs in private housing, Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Equity Loan Pilot Scheme, launched in winter 2016, operating in the Glasgow City, Perth and Kinross and Argyll and Bute council areas. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) managed the scheme on our behalf through Home Energy Scotland.

We are working with partners and stakeholders to design the new programme before it launches in 2018.

Fuel poverty strategy consultation

On 9 November 2017 we launched a consultation on a new draft fuel poverty strategy, including a new definition of fuel poverty and indicators and sub-targets. We will use the responses to help inform a Warm Homes Bill to be introduced to Parliament in 2018, and the final version of Scotland's fuel poverty strategy that will set the framework within which we will tackle fuel poverty.